Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Alot of things have changed. I'm going through a minor illness right now that in 6-8 weeks will be settled (again) for another 6 months. It's a recurring issue that seems to be worse each time. But that's only another reason for me to have control over my health again....

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Right now work is heavy, the kids are gearing up to gear down for end of school and start of swimming, I'm the computer rep for the Swim Team as well as a Board member, and well, I'm just making excuses…

Making excuses to have reckless behavior….I know it, I admit it, and am doing absolutely nothing about it.

Each morning I resolve, "NOT TODAY"…and by evening that mantra is out the door.

I have no one to blame but myself. I have no excuses that could even justify it…(because there is NONE in my book)….and I just need to suck it up!

This is my ANGRY note to myself.

Why in the hell do you work so hard and then sabotage yourself? Why are you so adamant that you can do it "differently" than you know you have to? Why can't you just put that _____ down and walk away? I'm tired of hearing you whine and complain about it. I'm tired of going through the same 5-10lbs every couple of months. Do this or either Don't do this, but make a decision. Is your health worth it or is it only worth it "when you feel like it?". You are stronger than this. You can beat this, because make no mistake about it….. this is a battle, a war you're waging. And the win is worth time with your family and loved ones. I know you get stressed out and I know the road gets long and hard….but isn't that when you need to be your strongest anyways? So why do you let that make you your weakest?

You talk a big talk but let's see you walk the walk. Let's see you show your children just how much they can do when they put their mind to it…. Let's see you get the WHOLE family moving and healthy…because it's not only YOUR life you're dealing with here, face it, it's the WHOLE family….and couldn't everyone be a LITTLE healthier????

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

I ran it originally about a year ago…for the very first time. I remember the elation and then I remember the dread. Dread that the very next run would be a steady 20minutes. The max I had done until then (in my LIFE) was 8 minutes. I think I was worried for the rest of that evening and all the rest day. Then it came time to "do" it. And you know what, I didn't. Nope, I fizzled out somewhere around 15 or 16 minutes. I don't remember. But you know what I do remember? That the very next day, I tried again. And DID IT!

I swear at that moment when my Ipod announced that it was time for my cool-down (walk), I could have done cartwheels the rest of the way home. And now, here I am again. Not just for the 2nd time, but either 4th or 5th. WHY? Because I mentally set myself up to fail. Instead of remembering that I have done this. That I have trained, that I know how to breathe, that my body will make it, that I won't die if I sweat a little…..all I can think of is how HARD its going to be.

Several of the bloggers I follow are on the same step as I face now. And thankfully they have been honest about their efforts also. Its disheartening to go out and read the blogs and feel like everyone is succeeding EXCEPT you. MsFatass over at her blog insightfully details her 20min. attempt. And I have to admit, as much as I LOVE reading the successes of everyone, it's reassuring to read an attempt that did not result in a "success" every now and then. Because LIFE is never all success. And sometimes when you ride that high, you forget what the down times are like…or rather you forget how YOU are responsible for getting yourself out of those dips….and when I say you, I mean ME.

Tonite is definitely an "OFF" night from running. I usually don't listen too much to the 3 day a week rule since its really only 30 minutes of cardio….BUT….I also have been treadmill running…until last night. And for any of you that do both…..you know the difference it makes in your joints….or maybe you don't….I AM getting older….. the treadmill always is a "softer" run but also feels a lot faster than what the speedometer says…when I'm running 5mph on the treadmill, I feel like I'm struggling. Road running is harder on my hip joints but I run faster….averaging at 5mph with no problems…..my distance is correct, it's been measured…but I can finish on the road much quicker than on a treadmill???? But then again, its easier to get "lost" in running on the road, so I think I just get more into the scenery instead of paying so much attention to speed….

I've got about 2 more weeks of REALLY heavy work and then it'll fall off almost at once (BIG tradeshow). I hope to resume weight training then. Until that time, I just make sure I get the cardio in 4-5 times a week. And I'm okay with that. Holding steady is much better than backward movement!

Tomorrow night is 20min. C25K run. I'll let you know how it goes. As Booker T. Washington said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." Whether tomorrow night, the night after, or the night after that…….I will overcome this obstacle and move on to the next…. Each step to doing so is a step of success…

Friday, April 30, 2010

I’m bouncing around the same numbers….on the scale that is.I wouldn’t say I’ve been a failure. I’ve succeeded in doing absolutely nothing….Nothing to harm myself any further.But I won’t go as far as to say it’s a success right now either.

Work is crazy right now.We’ve got a HUGE tradeshow coming up in 21 days from now.We do it every two years. I age 10 for each one I think.I hate mornings…I just don’t “DO” them.And I have 2 kids still at home---twin 10 year old boys.So being a late nighter is out also….since they have to be up and out of the house no later than 7am for carpool.Then off to work for me.Hubbie is back in school FT so he is MIA 4 nights a week…and exams are coming….so right now that ups to about 7.After getting off work and getting the kids back home and settled, it’s 7 or so before I can hit the gym.And 9 or 9:30 before I get home.Doesn’t leave a whole lot of time.And that’s with not seeing any of them until the weekend.Somehow we’ve got to find a way to work a more family friendly schedule….I’m just afraid that means getting up earlier and running……which once I do it a week or so, will be fine…but thinking about it now….MORNINGS…YUCK!!!!

I did manage this week to work out Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday.I did skip Thursday.I plan on being back there tonite….and tomorrow….and Sunday.

I’ve kept up my C25K running….when I’m at the gym.This week has been the first week back since skipping almost 2 weeks.Yep, one step forward, two steps back.I keep allowing myself to do that.What am I scared of?Why can’t I cross the line and stay over?

I’m repeating week 5.I’ve increased the speeds on both the walk and run portions (even if they are both SLOW still) and now I’m staring down a 20min. run.Which I know I can do, because I’ve done the C25K before…..but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have to convince myself again, again, and again that I can do this.Or rather--- I CAN DO THIS!!!!.And then just get up there (right now I’m running on the treadmill at the gym because I have to go so late---it’s not my preference to run inside)…and do it.

Same thing with this weight loss/health gain thing.I can do this.I CAN DO THIS.Now just pull your fatass up there and DO IT!

Some good things to note: Scale says the same, jeans fit better.Scale says the same, can run faster.Scale says the same, went down a size in workout pants.But let’s not beat around the bush.The jeans could fit even better (or even go down a size), I could be losing some of that arm jiggle (which I haven’t), and I could be ready and willing for swimsuit season---which I am NOWHERE close to!!!!

Now, just imagine if I had REALLY put effort into it.Of all things, THAT’S what really irks me.I’ve let myself down because I’ve just not committed yet to 100%.While there are positives…as noted above…. My mind keeps saying…YEAH, BUT what if????..............This month I’m going to find out…..what if?????

What if I run 5 days a week? What if I keep up the weight training 3 days a week? What if I DON’T have one cheat day? What if I do drink water like I’m supposed to? What if I allow myself to succeed? What if _____ ???

Thursday, April 8, 2010

After Monday's post, I was obviously feeling sorry for myself. But holding myself accountable also.

Since then I have been to the gym every evening and monitored my food intake and journaled it all. I've also consciously counted and increased my water intake.

Results?= HECK YEAH!

And at this point in time, I needed results. No matter what they were, just needed them. What results? Scale (YES, my name is Susan and I'm a scaleaholic) showed I'm back down to 175. Just 1 lb. over where I had been before I threw it all away for Easter week.

I know, I know....water weight, sodium intake, muscle swelling, whatever. You can't loose 8lb in 3 days. It's not about that. It's about getting back what I had worked for THREE months to achieve without feeling desperation and a desire to chuck it all.

Last night was a killer cardio session. Again, thanks to Tony at The Anti Jared, I've found the Arc trainer, which really eats up calories!

What I found even more satisfying last night---I outworked my Ipod battery. Now, albeit I watched an episode of LOST and listened to music the rest of my 2.5 hour session---I got a 20% warning with 20 minutes left in the workout. I finished before it died, but part of me wanted to go on until I was the victor. What can I say?----I'm competitive even with things that can't actually compete. Sue me.

I saw an ad the other day for a job that wanted an an acronym for the applicant. I thought that was interesting and even though I wasn't applying for the job, I sat down and did one for me.....

I -Intelligent
D- Determined
E- Enthusiastic
A- Amusing
L- Laughable

I think that I've definitely earned the DETERMINED in the past 3 days.What's YOUR acronym?

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

So if you read my blog yesterday, you noticed that I was a little upset….at the scale, at myself, at no progress.

I just wanted to drop a quick note and let you know I took that anger and turned it into determination. I ate well yesterday and went to the gym last night, even though I still feel that it is doing no good……but I refuse to give up. One way or the other, I will do this.

Started with 30 min. on the Crosstrainer, which I absolutely love. Finished 7.5 miles in 30 minutes, got the heart rate pumping and was sweating enough to make the Hot Yoga class jealous. Moved onto Couch25K run…and since I took 2 weeks off from running, I went back to Week3 Day3. And fully did it. I even kicked up the speed on both the walking and running parts since I was doing a "do over". I'll pick up and continue from this point forward. Then I moved on to the Arc Trainer (thanks to Tony over at The Anti-Jared who shared his favorite piece of equipment a couple of days ago in his blog). Seems our gym has two versions of this thing…one with stationary handrails and one with moving ones. I did the stationary one---just to get use to the movement and such. I was able to crank up the incline and resistance fairly high at times, but the machine self regulated since I was on "cardio" program and kept bringing it back down….I guess next time I'll do manual program. Finished things up with a nice bike ride…….

So, I'm back on the wagon friends…..got my new water bottle beside me here and have committed to cutting out all drinks of any type until I've got a minimum of 64 oz of water down….then I will allow myself some decaf tea or one can Coke Zero. Brought my lunch—which has been and probably always will be a large tossed salad filled with veggies and chickpeas with a chicken breast overtop. Didn't get my protein this morning but I did get two pieces of 9 grain toast. Thinking I'll get a snack in a few minutes—brought some kiwi slices.

How 'bout you? What do you do following disappointment? Are you a "get-up and dust yourself off" type person or does it take a while? I can be both. This time I choose to not give in.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

There… I said it. Today I am choosing to wallow. Wallow in self-pity, frustration, anger, failure, and just about any other negative emotion you can think of, I've got. No one can talk me out of it. No one can bring me out of it. Today I want to mumble under my breath, I want to hate everything, I want to be dark and foreboding and think that NOTHING can make it better……………okay, so for the first half of the day at least….and it's 12:36pm now, so I guess I have decided to turn that corner……

Today, after a week "off" as suggested by my weight training plan; and an Easter weekend full of sweets, foods I wouldn't normally have eaten, and not nearly enough water……….I'm right back where I started. Yep. Today the scale read – SCREAMED--- 182!

I want to kick and scream and curse and blame anyone but me. It took me from 01/25/2010 to get from that number down to 174. I count EVERY morsel of calorie I put in my mouth. I make good choices. I exercise probably MORE than I have time to and feel guilty for leaving my kids to do it or guilty for not getting enough exercise……and still it took me 2 months to lose 8 lbs.

Don't give me the "that's 1lb a week" crap. I was working out enough to lose 5lb a week. And I was monitoring my intake also. Not too restrictive and the right amount of macronutrients for me (I have to have A LOT of protein).

So what's up? Why can everyone else post -2, -4, and I can't? How come when I look back at their blogs when they had ONE week of not losing (much less 5 or 6 like I have) they never get upset…they never cry….they never curse….they never relapse.

I'm here to tell you… I do. I do all that….cry, curse, relapse, get angry, and then………….I move on.

Today is another Day 1. Today I start again, just as every day is a new day. And one day you'll see me post that I've reached my goal just like I've seen others do.

And I know there is no one or no thing to blame except for me. I have to find what works for me. And giving up won't do it.

Today I will eat healthy. Today I will be back in the gym. Today I will take steps forward instead of back.

I can't believe today is March 30th. Where has the month gone? Where is the 10lb loss I was working towards? I'm stuck in a zone and I can't move down. Albeit, I haven't moved up either. So I guess I won't complain.

It is hard though, staying motivated when I know I'm working so hard and being so "good" with my eating and food journaling.

So I did a difficult thing for me to do last week….I rested. All week. No workouts. No running. No bike. No treadmill. No nothing, well, nothing at the gym. We cut grass, blew leaves, took leisurely strolls….spent family time together. And did continue my eating program and journaling. And you know what---nothing. Nothing. No gain. No loss.

I've decided to switch things up a little bit…no more Barbie bells…..I'm following the workout to the T…… I actually had ADDED on to it. And they said that could be counterproductive. I guess they do know what they're talking about J. So, sticking strictly with the plan. Watching meticulously what I eat….making each bite count. Making each meal planned. So I rested Sunday…..It's what the plan says. And last night I did my first NROL4W-Workout A1. My only regret….not getting Dear Hubby to record my very first attempt at the Prone JackKnife. Save it for my old age to see me able to do things like that…..good stuff.

And I'm resetting the goal meter here and now. Today I weighed 176 this morning. My mini-goal is for May 1….. I will reach 167. 4 weeks & 3 days. (4.5x2lb) 9 pounds. I can do this. I will do this. That's only 2 or 3 good size dinner roasts. But that's 2 or 3 dinner roasts off my thighs, butt, hips, back, arms, etc……

164lb is my lowest adult weight I've ever been. I do have that number set in my mind as a huge "roadblock" to get past. I'm going to get there and blow right past it.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Instead of just writing about what I want to change about my lifestyle, about me…….I've actually been DOING it!

The weekend started off wonderfully! Friday night my SIL came and spent the night with us as she had an EARLY flight Saturday morning. She lives on the other side of town and we live about 10 minutes from the airport, although you'd never know it….our house is sorta rural. We had a great meal..salad, baked sweet potatoes (which I got NONE of since my kids all of a sudden decided that baked sweet potatoes are AWESOME!!) and grilled steak…..I think I had green beans instead of the potatoes, which actually worked out well.

Saturday morning, we were up bright and early to get SIL to airport and then we packed up the trailer with bikes and headed to the BEACH! Yes my friends, the weather was GORGEOUS here and there! 75° and light breeze. We packed (healthy!) lunches and ate on the beach, beachcombed for about a mile, and then did a 10 mile mountain bike trail. The kids threw the football back and forth and got ice cream popsicles…… it couldn't have been a more glorious day! We were out of the house by 9am and didn't get back til 7pm. I pan seared some scallops and shrimp with tequila lime dry seasoning with only a touch of EVOO and once everything was steamed and cooked, through in a bag of Latino frozen veggies. Served that over whole wheat pasta……….MMMMHMMMMM good! Well, I thought so at least, and so did DH. The kids turned their noses up. So what did they eat? Mozzarella sticks w/marina and ranch dressing. Hey, they're kids…and it was Saturday. And they had a friend over. I like being the "cool" Mom J. And we did ride 10 miles that day. I won't even begin to tell you that I also got them an ice cream birthday cake for their birthday dessert…..Choices.

Sunday was filled also……Up early and visiting a new church---long story. Took the twins out for their 10th birthday lunch at Texas Roadhouse. And yes, I had a roll with cinnamon butter. Just one and just a little – compared to what I would have done months ago…and then followed up with a salad and grilled chix breast….so all in all, still BETTER (not the best) choices. Then I blew leaves for about 2 hours…with a backpack blower… Great upper body workout. Told my husband I feel like I should have RUN back and forth while doing it and then it would have REALLY been a workout J.

Work is busy right now---we have a HUGE trade show in May.

If I miss a day or two, I'll be back.

I'm still on track…still not losing. I do have a dr. appt. today, so I'll mention it (follow up for another issue). Just finished New Rules of Lifting for Women……starting a new workout Wednesday night and hoping THAT helps make a change.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Actually, since Thursday of last week I've just been either a)sick b)busy or c)celebrating Spring and my birthday or d)all of the above.

Today I'm officially 40. What my older kids (and probably the younger ones, but not where I can hear) would call me old. I'm pretty sure I wear it fairly well. We'll see when the new driver's license comes…had to go renew it this morning.

On Jack Sh*t's blog today he talks about "why" being what he believes most people want to know when reading weight loss blogs. He's got a lot of questions. Good questions. Deep questions. Questions that I believe you must know the answer to in order to make this weight loss journey a success……the proverbial "last time" you go through the vicious cycle we all have been through before. Don't get me wrong. EVERY step is progress…whether you lose and regain, never lose, whatever. You always (hopefully) get close to answering the "why".

Why am I doing this? -- I want to lose weight and get healthy for several reasons. One is to live longer, stronger, healthier and to enjoy a level of quality of life that unhealthy people don't have. Weight is not an issue….unless it affects my ability to run, jump, escape, enjoy, let loose…etc. And right now it does. Not such much as 16lb ago. So I wonder what will it be like in 16 more lb? Maybe that will be the end. Maybe not. I'll decide when I get there. But I already have an underlying medical condition that I have to have regulated and monitored every 3 months. WHY would I set myself up to be unhealthy by being over my "healthy" BMI and at MORE risk of dying than I already am?.....so I guess I answer the question WHY with my own…..WHY would I not when I have so much to lose?

I saw this show once that put people in "emergency" situations they had to escape. They were always out of shape and usually overweight. Wildfires in the California Hills; an Earthquake ravaged city---these are the 2 scenarios I remember. The first couple (wildfire) couldn't run at all to escape the fire; they couldn't climb the hills; they couldn't traverse a ravine…..not without stopping every minute or so to breathe. And mind you, there was no fire, no smoke actually threatening them…only a stopwatch. They were then gifted a trainer for 2 weeks. They came back (lighter) and completed the course again. It was amazing to see the difference in 2 weeks! I live in Richmond, VA. We often have hurricane warnings as we are very close to the ocean (1.5 hours); we have tornadoes, we have floods, and we live very close to DC, Newport News, and Norfolk (terrorism). We could be in an emergency situation any day. I need to be able to assist my family in being able to protect and safeguard ourselves. I can't do that if I'm unhealthy.

Last night I did Couch to 5K Week 5 Day 2. Warmup walk 5 minutes, Run 8 minutes; Walk 5 minutes; Run 8 minutes; Cooldown walk 5 minutes. To a runner, I'm sure they'd chuckle at the measly 8 minutes x two. Last night, and still today, I feel nothing short of pure pleasure. 8 minutes can save my kids' lives, my husband's life; It can save my life! To anyone who has thought about running (jogging is more my speed as I only jog at 4.5-5mph and even slower if I need to!) Just get up and do it. Couch to 5K is an amazing program. I'd recommend it to ANYONE…regardless of weight. Work the program and the program will work for you. Complete each day….honestly….and then move on. Forget about speed. Walk as slowly as you have to….jog as slowly as you have to. There is a definite difference in gait and movement. Cheat and you only cheat yourself. Succeed and EVERYONE wins! Once you can do the time and complete the program…Start over and increase speed…. Some days will be daunting. I face a 20 minute straight run tonite. It'll be hard. There'll be tears. There'll be praying, There'll be music and sweat, and then there'll be VICTORY…….because my main reasons for doing this are these:

I can do this. I will do this. You can do this. You will do this. Some days will be great. Some will be good…and let's face it, some will outright SUCK. But wouldn't that happen whether or not you're healthy?

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Remember Tuesday? Remember I said ". . . in some sort of SICK, SICK way, I'm looking FORWARD (wth????) to tonight when I do lower body…..I can imagine it now…..squats, lunges, ughhhhhh…I can almost feel it. " I'm here to tell you, I'm psychic.

I ended up not making it to the gym Tuesday night due to several factors…mainly because I didn't go immediately following work and got home and got..lazy. I could use any other choice from about 15, but when it comes down to it, I consciously made a choice to not get my fat behind up and go….LOST was coming on you know. Or the kids needed extra homework help… WHATEVER. I can own it. I made the decision. And from where I'm sitting now, I'm not sorry about it one iota J

I did get up and go last night though. AFTER helping my kids with extra homework, cooking a great dinner of Rockfish, tossed salad, spinach, pineapple, rolls (for kiddos only). Heck I even blended up some cinnamon butter for the rolls for the kids. They were in HEAVEN! Fried their fish (is there any better way?) and baked DH and mine. Actually sat down together and ate…..which, unfortunately, doesn't happen as much as it should either. Most of the time I'm fixing kids dinner, they're eating at the counter, we're standing around doing other things and talking to them and we end up eating later…. But anyways….got them all taken care of. Finished homework. Hubby studying for 2 exams this week (he's back in college again)….. and at 7:15p I announced that I AM still going to the gym and will be leaving shortly. Convinced DH to study at the gym with me working out. So I changed and we went to the gym arriving at 8pm.

Got in a quick running session (C25K Week 5 Day 1 AGAIN – cheated by a couple minutes the other day and felt I needed to repeat for myself) and felt good afterwards. Always makes me feel strong finishing a day completely, strongly, and proudly. Then got DH (who had been studying in the lounge area) and headed into "enemy" territory----the weights. And not the dumbbell area. The barbell area.

Felt like I should have been grunting or dragging knuckles as I walked through there J First up---squats. Real squats. No Smith Machine. That went fairly well. But I will tell you the difference between women and men. I'm looking through all the barbells, just checking out the weights and where what I need is located… And I get my area secured and I'm ready to go. And I walk over and pick up my barbell –(40lb--the weights are fixed). And bring it back to start. I get through the first 12 squats and, man, I am feeling GOOD! Wow, that wasn't that bad. Balance isn't bad. Speed will come as I get more comfortable. DH is standing back saying "good job…form is good….getting down low….keep going". I proceed and finish 3 of the 5 sets. And then I turn around and tell DH that I didn't think I'd be able to start with that kind of weight, thought I had been over optimistic but that it's working out not so badly. Said something along the lines of not too bad to start out at 40 is it??? And DH got this strange look on his face……so I asked again, thinking maybe it was a whimpy weight. And then he looked at me and said, how do you figure that barbell was 40lb? And I say…. Its got 20lb written on the weights on each end…. 20+20=40, right? WELL, evidently NOT when you're talking barbells. LOL ………..Yep, I had started with 20 WHOLE pounds. And had went to 25. So on the 4th set, I upped it to (the REAL) 40lb and then the last set to 50lb. The final set drops back to a low weight (25lb) til exhaustion.

At the time, I was PISSED! What do you mean I was only liftng 20 lbs??? 20 LBS? 20 POUNDS?20 FREAKIN POUNDS? I wasn't mad at the weight. I was mad because the 20lb was EXACTLY where I should have started and I felt weak….inadequate….whimpy. But I used that…..and complete the entire set/reps and finished strong. Moved onto the leg press, where I did press 150lb. And THAT made me feel strong. I know men do a lot more, but for me starting out, it felt pretty darn good.

Quads were done. Moved on to Hamstrings. UGHHHH. Straight Leg Deadlifts. UMMMM… can we say DIFFICULT. I still relapse quickly into wrong/bad form. I want to hunch my shoulders instead of keeping a straight back. I'm good with the legs, good with the lift, but that straight back…. I told DH I was going to have him cut a piece of plywood out and strap it to my back from my head to my waist with bungee cords. THEN maybe I could keep my back straight. LOL . Somewhere in the lifting sequence, I think I over-extended or pulled my right hamstring. It was SCREAMING by the time I ended. It had been twinging when I was running but I shook it off. By the end of the deadlifts it was definitely saying "You're gonna PAY #(&%(" ………This morning it is getting revenge.

Finished off the rest of lower body and a 4xAb workout that DH joined in on for, and excuse me, but I make up my own names that sound A LOT like exactly what the exercise is………….. 1)Team Throwdowns--- me on the floor face up, him standing, one foot beside each ear, facing my feet. I grab his ankles for a little leverage and lift my feet together up, legs straight, and do a reverse crunch. He then takes feet and pushes them in any direction (I don't know before hand which way) and I have to lower them to right off the ground and raise them back up for another round….total of 50 times……….. 2)Plank holds ………. 3)medicine ball throw sit ups….again a team….he sits on my feet and I do situps while throwing a 10lb medicine ball back and forth with him…….4) reverse crunches with the exercise ball.

I had planned some more cardio after that (CrossTrainer) but DH was ready to go and study some more and he wanted to do it at home…. I felt good about what I had got done….and my hamstring was still screaming, so we walked (okay, he walked, I limped) to the car. Great workout!

One last note--------bought some Muscle Milk as suggested by NROL4W…….Banana Crème. 11oz, 200cal, 25g protein, 9g fat…low carbs………..If you like banana milkshakes------BUY THIS!!!!!!!!! IT is WONDERFUL!!!!! I would HIGHLY recommend it. It's right up there with the Met-RX chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar that I ADORE!!!

Both of these are wonderful POST and PRE workout energizers and I'm looking to find them in bulk. If you know of somewhere with good prices on them, please let me know!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

I've been reading New Rules of Lifting for Women…..it's "motto" is Lift Like a Man….Look Like a Goddess.

My only comment…….only if that Goddess is Venus de Milo (you know the one WITHOUT any arms). Because right now, after putting down the "barbiebells" and picking up the manly weights, I'm ready to just about cut off my arms. But then again, that would require LIFTING something. Something probably heavy. And I'm not ready to do that yet…at least not until tomorrow night J

Yes, it's a good sore. And in some sort of SICK, SICK way, I'm looking FORWARD (wth????) to tonight when I do lower body…..I can imagine it now…..squats, lunges, ughhhhhh…I can almost feel it. And tonite that means using the barbell. I'm not much on those. When I was around 9 I sat on a weight bench at the head….which was cantilever to the rest of the bench….and the bench flipped. The barbell was resting on the Y shaped things….it came off….and hit me in the mouth. It broke off my left front tooth halfway. My mouth wouldn't stop bleeding. Ended up in the ER. Had several caps over the years and eventually had a root canal and implant put in…..That my friends is my last encounter with the barbell. Unfortunately, I'm feeling like that will be the GOOD run in after tonite J

I'm not exactly the most graceful or balanced…..but I'm sure working on strength and stability will improve that. So DH is coming with me tonite and assisting with the spotting just to make sure I don't kill anyone else…or myself for that matter.

Tomorrow's post should be interesting…..I've filtered the content with a warning in anticipation of such need J

Monday, March 8, 2010

It took forever to write today. Not because I couldn't think of anything. But rather, I couldn't focus on one thing.

This weekend was … there are so many words that I wanted to use… horrid, awful, depressing, disheartening…. Take your pick.

But then I decided that's exactly what I've done in the past. Concentrated on the hard part and not the long term. I did my last daily weigh in Sunday. And you probably can guess….no loss.

But, today, I can also say…no gain either.

And that's what I'm choosing to focus on.

I'm reading New Rules of Lifting for Women, which is supposedly FABULOUS! I'm going to be integrating this into my Body for Life schedule and combining the two. I've done a lot of research on Schuster and his ideals. I'm pretty impressed so far….and ready to drop the Barbie weights…although I never would have said they were light before….but I'm going feet-first into his start up and integrate in with my cardio. NROL4W advocates not cutting calories except minimally, which ties into my challenge last week. So I'm going to continue to follow that (even though I didn't post a loss)….and see how that works out for me. 1600 calories on non-workout days and 1900 on workout days…..

On week 5 of Couch to 5K this week. Running 5 and 8 minute stretches…. I remember this now. Soon, VERY soon (1 week?) they throw in a 20 minute run. I remember the FIRST time I ever completed it……ELATION! I can't wait to do it again! (and again, and again, and again!)

Friday, March 5, 2010

As you can tell, all my posts don't deal with losing weight exclusively. And sometimes different topics are unilaterally applicable to various things.

Right now, I'm in a holding pattern.

With my weight loss, which while is evident from the way my clothes fit (and having to get smaller jeans) and the way I look (everyone has said something) that my best friend and worst enemy, all at the same time, the scale REFUSES to move yet again.

I swear I could go back, copy posts from 3 weeks ago, and paste them in. It's a definite trend on my weight loss monitor. I lose well for one week, lose slightly the next week and hold for three to four weeks.

I honestly can't figure this out. I am working hard at making changes. I eat much better. I am at the gym on average 5 times a week.

I am getting stronger. I am no longer sore when I do my weight training. I can do four times as much ab work as I used to. I can run for 5 minutes at a time at 4.5mph, with 2.5 minute rests in between. I can climb 100 flights of stairs without passing out, and I have completed a Triathlon in a month……but I still wait for the approval of a $50 pound scale? I truly must be insane.

Of course the other alternative is that there is a conspiracy somewhere made up of my enemies (of which, I must confess, I can make MANY due to my openness). And said enemies have snuck into my house and rigged, YES, RIGGED my scale to read the same exact thing for weeks on end. Hmmpph… Little do they know, that from this day forward…. The scale rules me no more.

Oh, I will use it. I will notice my weight. But that's it. No living and dying by the scale. In fact, I think I'm putting that thing away. Weigh ins are ONLY allowed every other week....it'll kill me at first. But you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat. PURRRRRRR is all I can say.

Busy weekend. But as always, I've got a plan to conquer it! Twins have a basketball game tonite at 6, so we're headed to the local Italian restaurant—Roma's—here in our little town. It's ABSOLUTELY the best! The owner is always around. She is GRAND! The staff are wonderful! The food---well, the food is AMAZING! But my favorite thing about them lately-----when I explained to the waitress last week I was eating healthier….she and the kitchen staff were more than happy to grill me a chicken breast with onions and mushrooms—no oils and I tacked on a green salad with vinegar & oil for dressing even though none of that was on the menu….and it was reasonably priced. Hubby is doing Atkins---which works for him but not for me. They have a hamburger steak with onions (no gravy) and a double order of broccoli for him. He says it is out of this world good. And the twins, their favorite is pizza or pasta. So we'll all leave happy and fed. While DH and I watch what the twins eat, we're very careful about imprinting our unhealthy attitudes about food on them. They are free to order most anything they want….because they are SOOO active and burn off amazing amounts of calories. But they also know they are expected to eat well. So with their pizza or pasta I know they both will be getting salads.

Saturday is yet another basketball game. Early – 9am. Just checked my Google Calendar---which by the way, if you don't use, you should! My kids, DH, and I all have one that we share with each other. It makes keeping track of events, no matter where you are, EASY!!!!! I can use my Ipod to input things away from home. I LOVE IT!!!!! At noon, my gym has a Yoga class that I might try to make. Later that night, 8pm or so, the granddaughters are coming and spending the night.

Sunday, DH works….and the rest of us will head off to church. Daughter will come get grandkids. We'll eat something at home (Right now turkery and LF swiss on an all-grain sandwich round is my thing) and then head off to the Awards Banquet for basketball. That ends at 5 or so. At 7 we're meeting our older kids and their SO at a chain called Dave & Busters. It's an arcade/restaurant for adults. I've been told they have salads. I'm sure they can grill a piece of chicken.

I've found that if I plan it all out (for food) I tend to be much more successful. Failure to plan = Planning to fail.

I'm so happy today is Friday. It's supposed to touch 60!!!!! All weekend and Monday! Sounds like we might have A LOT of cases of Spring Fever coming up around here in Richmond, VA!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Pizza -Just about any kind from anywhere. Pizza is was my all time favorite food. I wouldn't scarf down a whole one or anything but I could eat close to half if allowed to. Pizza Hut Pepperoni Lovers Thin Crust was my weapon of choice but there's a grocery store around town here that makes an amazing Veggie Pie also. I have since given up the PH pizza and found that the veggie pizza is made with 2% cheese….while the stats aren't great, 1/6 of their pizza is 430 calories; 15g fat; 25g of protein; 490mg sodium. If I'm working out that day and I'm "clean" on the rest of my day's food, I've conceded that once in a while (in my head that is 2 times a month) will allow myself a slice of pizza (which is the 1/6th serving).

Rice/pasta/potatoes I group these all into the same category.. I'm a carb addict. I know it and I admit it. But I also have an iron deficiency so I have to focus on really getting in my protein and iron every day. I could live on pizza, pasta, potatoes and rice. With the these I've learned to make better and smaller choices. Potatoes are now ½ baked potato with A-1 sauce. Try it, its great! A-1, while higher in sodium, is no fat. I REALLY watch my fat intake but monitor my sodium. In the course of 95% of my days, the sodium intake is just fine with watching it, I don't have to make major changes. But the fat intake, I really have to pick and choose. Rice is brown whole grain rice now. Pasta is now whole wheat, or even better, use spaghetti squash. And let's face it….it isn't the same thing, but it's a reasonable accommodation that I think tastes GREAT!

Mindless foods There's no particular food….just those that are "easy". Pop-tarts, crackers & squeeze cheez---(yes, I loved that stuff), spaghetti-o's, ramen noodles, and I could go on and on. I've just resolved that if the processing and preservatives can make CHEESE shelf stable, what the h#(( is it doing to my insides? That pretty much makes the urge to eat the junk go away.

Soda/Pop/Coke I call it Coke but really I drink Coke Zero. And where I'm from, you call all sodas either Pepsi or Coke….strange how local areas have their own way of doing that….When I lived in MN it was pop. Anyways…. I would drink 4-5 a day. Now I allow myself 1 a day but usually I drink about 1 every other day. My husband used to give me a hard time about opening one and taking a few sips and letting the rest go flat. I told him its worth it to me to take the sip and throw away $1 worth of soda than to buy 5-6 a day and actually drink them…..I'll take throwing away the $1 any day.

After a 2 hour marathon cardio session at the gym last night, I was wiped out! My original plans were to do a quick 15 min. warm up; 45-60 min. worth of upper body weight work, 30 minutes of C25K running (week4 day1) running, and a nice long interval bike ride to get the miles up for my previously mentioned Ironman Triathalon Challenge………………so much for plans.

Carpooled to campus again with DH. Off to class he goes, off to the gym I go. We're there by 6 (his class is 7pm, remember?) and he's not scheduled to get out til 9:40pm. Let's face it though, even the professors try to get those late classes out as early as possible. So he's actually usually done by 9pm. So I know I got at least 3 hours time.

Got to thinking…..DH says he's gonna commit to being more active and going to the gym with me. We'll PLAN on that being the case. In order for us both to be on upper body workout today, I couldn't do it last night. And if I gave him an excuse to NOT workout, doing separate workouts would be right at the top of his excuses. So I decided to nix the weights in favor of adding in more cardio………………..I guess I just didn't figure in the time factor though….

So I started with a nice 30 minutes 10K on the CrossTrainer. Actually finished warm-up, 10k, and cool down in 28 minutes but tacked on an additional 2 min. to round it out. Hmmmm….debated here. Should I run or should I bike or maybe row or stairstepper. Decided (why?) on the bike for the hour. And I pushed it. It was a great ride…..had it on random intervals, level 10. At the end of the hour, I thought, maybe that wasn't such a good idea….I got a 30 min. walk/run session coming up………. so I hopped off the bike, refilled the old water bottle…and on to the treadmill. Day1 Week4 C25K—DONE! I won't lie to you, it was HARD. The 3 minute runs were fine. But the two 5 minute runs were KILLER! Sunday evening I had worked hard on the lower body. Only to be followed by marathon cardio last night AND THEN with the run on the end…..AM I CRAZY?---Don't answer that.

As I finished wiping off the treadmill and stepped down……..I realized…………I'm tired! I looked left ---there were plenty of empty stair machines and elliptical and crosstrainers. I looked right----empty bikes and rowers. Hmmm…decisions. So you know what I did? I headed to the water fountain, again refilled the bottle, and got my stuff out the locker and headed up to the student commons (.25 miles away). I was done. Should have I pushed it more? Should I have eeked out another 20 or 30 minutes? Why do I feel like I "cheated" on my time when I totally rocked it for 2 HOURS?????

So walk up to the commons, find a seat, open up my water and ½ of a protein bar…..by the way………Cookie Dough Protein Bars ---can't remember who makes them but it's a red package…..TOTALLY ROCK! I mean, they actually (well, ¾ of the way) taste like the sweet stuff! So much so, I only could eat ½. I only had to wait about 30 minutes for DH and we walked back to the car and headed home together.

Told him on the way home, for some reason, I was craving a piece of veggie pizza BADLY! ---could have been something to do with the fact that there is a pizza place in the student commons???!!!--- But also that I felt like if I ate that pizza I'd be again "cheating". Explained to him that in experimenting with managing my caloric intake to my BMR I should be eating around 1500 calories in order to just live….and that I had plenty for one piece of veggie pizza from our grocery store chain (they list their nutritional info and they use 2% cheese)—is how I know I could have it. But no matter how much I KNEW I could have it, I just couldn't convince myself I really could have it. We had a really good discussion about it. Sometimes it really helps to bounce things off of someone……Have I said lately how much I adore my husband? He's my best friend and he's absolutely WONDERFUL! I know we all get hung up about how we look when dealing with weight issues…..and he needs to lose about 25 more pounds….but I think he is the most handsome, sexy, attractive man I've ever known. I could care less about his dropping 25 pounds for looks…………..high blood pressure and high cholesterol run in his family. His dad had them and all his brothers have them too. All of them are on medication for it. I want my DH around for a LONG LONG LONG time. That's why I want him healthy….whether it means dropping weight or not.

Anyways…I digress….by the time we got to our exit….I had decided in order to have a more healthy relationship with food, I needed to stop feeling restricted from anything and learn to live with it. I mean, seriously, have you ever seen a skinny person turn down food? Most of my "skinny" friends LOVE food. They just love a lot LESS of it than I used to. They take a bite, enjoy it, and leave the rest. Or they make choices. I made a choice…..because I needed to maintain my calorie load for the day and I was way under (even after ½ a protein bar!!!???) I was going to get the pizza.

Long story short…..no veggie pizza at the kitchen. They had cheese but that's not what I wanted. What I really wanted was the cooked onions, green peppers, and mushrooms. So I didn't get the pizza. I did pick up a piece of grilled chicken and rice pilaf. We get home and sit down to eat (LATE!!!—10pm) and we're talking about effort.

In my eyes, I feel like I'm giving 123% effort towards being more healthy and losing weight. How come the scale doesn't reflect that? I sweat A LOT at the gym. I'm not on level 1 on anything. I push hard on the rower, crosstrainer, elliptical, treadmill…everything! If this journey was based on effort, I'd be Heidi Frickin Klum by now. ARRRRGHHHHH… I can control everything else BUT this!!!! It's maddening. Then I realized. I am controlling this. The scale is headed down. My clothes are getting looser. People are noticing. I can now RUN 6mph (even if only for 1-3minutes) but I can run 4.5mph for 5 minutes. But most of all… I can FEEL it. I don't get out of breath climbing 10 flights of steps. I want to be outside playing and running with my kids. I sleep better. I wake up easier. I am not as tired as I used to be. And………….ladies, who are on this journey also, let me know if you've experienced this………………..but my sex drive has kicked into Super Hypersonic Overdrive. I think my DH actually faked sleeping last night J so he could get some sleep. Maybe that's the REAL reason I want him to workout more??????

Monday, March 1, 2010

Headed out of work Friday afternoon with BIG plans…….a good cardio workout and weight training for Friday night. My kids went to a basketball game with a friend (double header actually) and my husband was at work but when he got off, needed to do some studying. So I headed to the gym. First off, I did pat myself on the back a little bit. I would have normally just hunkered down at home with some good ol' high calorie high fat foods and done NOTHING. Vegged out in front of the TV maybe. Instead I completed Week 3 Day 3 of the Couch to 5K program……Have I said enough how much I LOVE this running program?......then jumped into a really good upper body workout…..then moved on to an INTENSE 40 minute Crosstrainer cardio session, ended up by a 60 minute bike ride……Everything but the bike ride was "normal". I added the bike ride on because our gym has a Cumulative Ironman Triathalon challenge going on February – April. I have finished everything but, I'm sure you guess, the bike ride……a total of 112 miles is needed. After my ride Friday night (and another shorter one yesterday) I only have 21.77 miles left…. But I had been hoping to finish the challenge in one month instead of three. Not too shabby though… I have rowed 15,000+ meters and walk/run 26.2+ miles. I'll finish the biking this week for sure though.

I skipped working out Saturday all together as I had concession stand duty for my twins' basketball team. On a great note: I didn't eat ONE thing from the stand. Nothing, nada, zip, zero. My hubby made me a turkey sandwich round and brought that and some baked chips to me for lunch.

Sunday I convinced DH that having him workout with me is very important to me….and good for me….but mostly important to me. (Hey, at least I can own that) So he, after 8 hours at work, agreed to meet me at the gym and follow my workout regime. I did pare it down considerably. We started with 15 min. warmup on the Crosstrainer and moved on to the lower body/ab workout routine. DH works for the local phone company and they have "testing" this Thursday on pole-climbing (SERIOUSLY!) and he was afraid he'd be sore, so I had him do my weight load instead of what he probably should have done. DH is mucho strong in the legs….not a bit of flab or fat to be seen. Poor thing, barely has an ass either……..he carries most all of his weight around the "spare tire" area. He was in the army when he was younger and became a GREAT runner….if any of you have been in the army, you'll probably know what I mean…he became the all-time crossing guard because his endurance and speed was so much higher than the rest of the platoon. Lost a TON of weight FAST there. Needless to say, he BREEZED through the lower body weight sets….. But then we hit the abs….and I've been working at this about 4-5 weeks longer than he has….I am by NO MEANS tight but I was able to outlast him in the ab workout. And I do more ab workout than called for on the sheet….because my abs just need that much more work…..(Thanks to FOUR kids, one set of twins!)

From there, we climbed on to the treadmill. And even though I was going to move on to Week4 Day1 of C25K, I decided that would be morale shattering for me if I was on Week 1 day 1 struggling and the person besides me was breezing through day 1 of week 4. So I decided to step back down to W1D1. And you know what, it was FUN! We walked at the same time, ran at the same time. I was able to work on my "speed". Up to this point, I'm not a fast runner or even a slow runner. I'd call myself a mediocre jogger. But yesterday I stepped it up! Two notches! I walked at 4mph and RAN, yes, you saw it here first, RAN at 6mph. Albeit it was running for one minute every 90 seconds for 20 minutes, but I DID IT! And I'm going to OWN that too! DH did the entire W1D1 and it was tough. I remember being there. You think running for one minute is easy peasy if you do no other exercise? Go do it---Walk 90 seconds in between and do it again….8 times! He wanted to stop after run 5, run 6, and run 7. But I convinced him each time he was one round closer to stopping….he could do it! And in the end he did! I was so happy for him and me! I was proud of him…and still am. He was 20-something in the army. He's 40-something now. BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!! But he's giving it a try! And we're spending time together doing it!

Today he's back at work and so am I. But we've decided that no matter what it takes, we're going to figure out how we can work-out at least an hour a day together.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Dear friends, as you may have noticed, I never cease to entertain myself. In my head, I am a primo comedian. I am constantly chuckling all day at the stupid funny things I come up with. So how come they are never as funny when I put them into writing? I mean, jeessshhhhh, what's with you people? How come you just aren't as tickled as I am? Obviously you are missing your funny bone. I mean, it couldn't be me.

Perfect example: So last night dear hubby had class (M,W & Th nights) 7-9:40pm. So around noon yesterday, I was going with him and going to the gym. At 3pm, I wasn't. At 4 I was. At 4:30 I wasn't. It was just THAT kind of day, KWIM? So at 4:48, yes I did note the exact time mentally, I committed that yes indeed I was going to the gym and securing my carpool with him. Now remember, his class starts at 7pm. He parks 50 feet or less in front of the doors to the building. We live 20-30 minutes away. So you would think we would leave by 6:15p to get to class right? NOPE. We are on a "schedule". So he can "prepare" before class. My dear friends, we are leaving our house "no later than 5:30pm." In order to do that, I tear out of work at 4:59 grabbing my belongings, rushing out the door, locking said door since I'm the only employee left, and driving home like a bat of …. quickly. Anyways. I make it home in 15 minutes. (I actually only work about 15 minutes away so THAT was no great feat but I did manage to avoid the 1 red light that could have held me up). Dash in the house, kiss the twins, make sure they have dinner covered, find out one is not feeling well, sit down to assess him..no fever, no snot (sorry, but true), no vomiting, eyes are a little glassy, stomach a little upset but he's eating a sleeve of saltines. Our Jennifer assures us he'll be fine and we should go. (She knows the DH's time thing). Find out DS was hungry from the time he got out of school, rationalize its just low blood sugar, and I'm up to kiss the other twin, dash into my room, and start flinging clothes off and every where. –Believe me, NOT a pretty sight!—The cat sits at the end of the bed watching like it's the most normal thing in the world.

I'm heading to the bathroom (you know you just HAVE to go before going to the gym). Yelling at my husband to find my sports bra, running pants, socks, my compression shirt, a BIGGGG t-shirt ----not the small one like last time, and my running shoes if he wants "to help speed me up" (that's my SECRET phrase to get him to help me with ANYTHING!) I swear he reminds me of an old movie I saw where the father is a time managing freak and times the kids each morning to the second of getting ready…but I digress. Now I do have one spot where I keep all my workout clothes, so securing these items is actually easy. And DH has them ready for me when I come out the WC. I start throwing things on and once again, he's gotten me a T-shirt that is what I'd call a "wearing" t-shirt, not a workout t-shirt. So I have to go digging in his drawers---LOL----see my brain is spinning but I won't go off on a tangent-------for one of his t-shirts with a little more room to move. Find that, throw it on….pull on the shoes jumping down the hall on opposing feet…..and jog down the stairs… OKAY, let's go. Believe me, I think "dressing for working out" burns as much calories as any other cardio I might do on a light day.

And yes friends, we made it out the house at 5:20pm. On campus by 5:45. You think that's the end of the story? Not a chance.

I complete my running (Couch to 5K Week3 Day2), Body For Life lower body workout, 30 minutes on the CrossTrainer ……………and its about right there that I had had it. I was tired. I wanted to stop. But I looked at my watch and it was 7:30???!!!! WTH…………I felt like I'd been there FOREVER. So its way too early to be expecting to leave (remember, class ends at 9:40pm) so I hustle on over and do 30 minutes on the Bike. And about right there my calves (both!) start getting Charlie Horses. OUCH! Okay 8pm. MOST nights DH gets out a few minutes early. So if I walk the 1.5 miles to his class instead of him coming to get me, that'll burn 30 minutes (---I was honest, I wasn't POWER walking NOWHERE!!) So it'd be 8:30p…and I could wait the 30-45minutes for DH. I send DH a text message that says "on my way up there now…don't leave til you see me" JUST IN CASE..because you know how that works.

Superwoman that I am……started walking…….forgetting that I did not wear my usual hoodie sweatshirt because DH dropped me off tonite due to RAIN. Yep…..rain! But I'd committed and "don't tell me what I can't do."(—Smoke Monster who looks like John Locke but isn't REALLY John Locke)…. I keep my Ipod on, and bebop myself on up campus in 23 minutes. Try the doors to the building…and YEP…..LOCKED! Luckily there are benches out front…. I mean, it's a college campus of 35,000….surely someone will come out or go inside in the next 15 or so minutes right? RIGHT? Text DH "outside doors locked". Thought he might get a break and could come open the doors…….

No one came, no one went. At 9pm I sent DH this "So, how many calories DOES fighting off hypothermia burn?". At 9:15 I sent "Got permanent chicken skin now". The temperature outside is really dropping and I'm REALLY cold. I also know that DH has a badgood weird habit of making sure when he puts his phone on silent vibrate of making sure he puts it somewhere he can actually feel it when it goes off……and men, you'll have to help me out on this one, but what he does is stick the thing under the ol' twig & berries, the tacklebox, his "equipment" on the seat of the car, chair, whatever……….. I mean, that's just frickin' hilarious to me. I'm laughing now as I write it. So anyways, I figure by now four text messages probably has him well,…..probably hoping for more. LOL J

Now it's 9:20 and I'm FREEZING! So I type to DH "I hope you are enjoying these text messages. Hope they give you a lot of excitement. Then both of us will be stiff, but for different reasons. "

I mean to tell you, I found myself untouchable. I thought I was HILARIOUS. People would pay me money to read this stuff I tell myself. And VIOLA, 2 seconds later my husband shows up at the doors, laughing….but he does let me in. Good thing too, the class ran til the last minute last night. I was beginning to fear the police showing up to pickup the old, crazy, homeless lady sitting out front bebopping, doing squats, lunges, and dancing to music doing the white-man's overbite.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Yep, this morning I am basking in the glow of self-accomplishment friends. Last night I continued my trek by completing the Day 1 workout of Body for Life. I completed the entire Day 1 PLUS 30 minutes running program (week 3 day 1) of Couch to 5K AND 30 minute random interval training on the CrossTrainer.

Thoughts on the workout – I don't think I started with enough weights. I did mostly cabled machine exercises. I had wanted to use the dumbbells…..but…..quite honestly, because I can be honest with YOU right?..... There were A LOT of young male kids hanging out around the dumbbells. Experienced, well built, those who "know" what they're doing types….. and I was….well, intimidated. Now I don't usually have this problem. I'm fairly outspoken and confident. But I just couldn't go over there, pick up 4 sets of dumbbells and plop down on one of the benches…..dumb right? But, I did at least, find a comfort zone AND get the workout done. Just used the machines instead. Anyways, the machines of course use pulley systems so the weights work WAY differently. When I had planned to start with 5, 7.5, 10, & 12.5 dumbbells—I was at a loss as to what to do with the machines….so I just guessed….and probably to the low side. But now I know. And I did take my workout sheet with me. And I did make notes about the weights and I've entered that into my log. Now, next time, I can make my plan out with the machine or the dumbbells (Yes, Friends, I plan on venturing into that unknown territory yet again, and again and again until I CAN feel comfortable there).

Ate clean yesterday! More calories than I would have normally allowed but after A LOT of reading, I've decided to limit my calorie deficit to around 1000 per day. So my intake yesterday was just under 1600. My RMR (I wish I could have it done professionally like Tommy at I Hate Green Apples) but I estimate it based on my weight at just over 1500 per day + burn of 1100 more. So roughly, I should have a deficit yesterday of around 1100. And if I maintain that average x 6 days a week ( I do take off one day completely) = 6600. Divide that by 3500 to get total weight loss in pounds of 1.89lb. Close to 2 lb. per week. I can deal with that. As much as I'd LOVE to say 5, 6, 7 lb a week. I know that is unrealistic, unhealthy, and just plain un-American (I have a flair for the dramatic).

Now, feeling a little like Einstein that I got that 1)all figured out and 2)actually track it daily in a spreadsheet……makes me wonder why it NEVER really works that way.

Couple other random thoughts --- I tend to have about 5,698,572 running around in my head at any time.

Greta over at Big Bottom Blogger is AMAZINGLY courageous. I can't fathom the moxie it takes to plaster pictures of your butt on the internet. Heck, I can't face looking at my own myself sometimes. But I will admit, it fascinates me how much of a difference Greta has made and I look at her butt all the time

I like the feel of post-workout soreness the day after.

Why is it that you can't overwork ab muscles? Every other muscle group in the body you can…but not abs……why?

Would a true "reality" show on weight loss work? Put together amazingly REAL people doing amazingly REAL eating, working (you know at their JOBS), exercising and getting real about the problems that put them where they are…….would it work? Would people watch?

If obesity is a national health crisis and EVERYONE is concerned about it. How come EVERYONE charges for every new product that comes along…..I mean if (–sorry Jillian, because I really do like you---YOU are what I need from a trainer when I don't want to do something) if Jillian Michaels has the SURE FIRE workout to make you look like her (face it ladies, it's what we really want)…..how come it costs so much, has 267 other things to go along with it, etc?

On the same note…………………why allow some fly-by-night company to put you on FASTING supplements or weight loss pills? COME ON….the money you make is worth your integrity, your ideals, your name?????

The amount of water I drink per day affects my running (BREATHING) ability. I need to kick it up and pay attention to getting MORE water!

Monday, February 22, 2010

The first: Side by Side MRI views of an obese person with a healthy weight female. OMG! You can even see FAT in the brain. Look the abormal way the bones of the arms (at the shoulders) and legs (at the hips and knees) have to bow in order to accommodate our size. Look at the heart. Look at the INTESTINE! This image shook me HARD!

This is my oldest granddaughter at the State Fair last year. Isn't she just adorable? I want to be around for her like I remember my grandmother being there for me. There is NOTHING I loved more in the Summer than spending weeks with my Grandpa and Grandma. When this little girl is a teenager, I want her to be able to tell her friends that she has one crazy, active grandma who still loves rollercoasters, running, working out, and HER!

My best friend is an amazingly fit woman. She wonderfully helps me with any questions I have about eating, working out, weights, cardio….whatever. I should also mention she has been a workout instructor in her "spare" time and for "fun" for many, many, many years. And she does this in a way that is so helpful and non-threatening that I feel 150% convinced that whatever she tells me is going to work. And it always has and does!

So Friday I asked her…..okay, so I've been doing cardio and some light weight training. I'm ready to kick it up. What should I do? Simple answer from her is check out bodyforlife.com. She says that's what she follows. WHAT???!!!! All this time there is a website out there to tell me exactly what to do? And I can look like you? Sign me up regardless of cost. Guess what?? This site is FREE! Totally…downloads and all. It is backed by EAS (supplements, bars, stuff like that…) but the information on eating and working out…FREE!

I downloaded their suggested workout. And I made it mine. I like to consider myself something of an Excel programming whiz. So I took their simple 84 day download and added some drop down lists instead of having to look up the exercises each time. Easy-peasy. I also color coded the tabs so I know easily what I'm doing what day without even opening the tab. I also combined cardio and workout days on the days I know I'll be doing both. And I changed the amount of time for cardio….they say 20 minutes is sufficient but I like to go for 30 at least (the whole endorphin thing kicks in for me around then).

Anyways…..a note on the workouts. THEY WORK! Saturday I did about 45 minutes of cardio and then moved on to the lower body workout. With very minimal weights. Quads---dumbbell squats with 7.5lb on each shoulder. Leg press-140lb (but that's only 12) and my legs were shaking at the end. I started the lunges for hamstrings with the 7.5lb also….but had to dump them after the 1st 2 sets….but I completed the sets. My friend had said that body weight was plenty starting off, I had just thought I could do more….finished the rest of the lower body no problems….those lunges about killed me though….

Then on to the ab work. I actually double or even tripled the amount of ab work…..mainly because I feel that and my thighs are my problem areas….and no matter how much my brain tells me that I can't spot reduce…..I still stubbornly try. Abs are amazing. Do you know they are the ONLY muscles in the body you can NOT overwork? You can work them every day….unlike your other major muscles. So I did crunches, reverse crunches, Marvin Haglers (bicycles), flutter kicks, military holds, planks, side planks……. And if you think that can't make you sweat…..you're wrong!

Felt a little stiff Saturday evening from the workout…but a good stiff……….Then Sunday around 4:30pm (about 24 hours after the workout) BAM! The soreness set in my legs…..for any of those who have been there…. you know what I'm talking about. You get about 4 inches from the chair and "drop" the rest of the way and then you pray you don't need to get up for about 4 days. Walking up stairs is difficult….walking down the stairs I "ouch"ed each step—loudly. Why should I be the only one in the house to suffer? Funny, my abs didn't hurt. Until I tried showing my husband an ab exercise I saw a pair performing…..THEN I felt them! Oh yeah, I worked those babies too!

Still fighting a cold….upper body this morning feels like I've been whipped with chains due to congestion. My teeth even hurt. And my lower body is hurting but feeling good at the same time…

Gotta miss the gym tonite due to the kiddos' schedule and my work that has geared up right now. Looking forward to going tomorrow for upper and cardio workout. I'm sure come Thursday morning, you'll hear me complain about how much my arms, chest, and shoulders hurt…..probably is a very short posting J

Getting back to my Title..................bodyforlife has their website. But they also have a free Ipod download. That's pretty good. I tried it. But for $.99 they also have a more functional app. I paid for it. THAT's FABULOUS! I have a couple of fitness apps. I use them all. I have a quick reference guide for exercises by muscle which helps ALOT if the gym is full and I can't do one of the exercises I've pre-planned to do....there's always something to back it up with.

Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend. It's shaping up to be a GLORIOUS week!

Friday, February 19, 2010

It's those days when I have to choose what I should do over what I really want to do. . .and for once, I'm not talking about food or exercise, although I have those days too.

What's WITH people these days? I'm truly disgusted with the lack of common decency between the member of the human race. If your mother, daughter, brother, etc… were starving, needed a ride, wanted a pick-me-up…you'd do it right? Why because you don't know a person do they not deserve the same? Ever notice that people will tend to help strangers before they even acknowledge and reach out to help a "friend". With friend like that. . . .

I get so ANGRY. I want to revert to my old self. I want to be a heathen. I want to be uncouth, unregulated, unbound. I want to do harm, I want to do damage. But I know better. On these days, I wish, I PRAY that I didn't know better, but I still do. Can I rest easier knowing that my God is not only a loving God but a vengeful God also? That all His power is behind me? --------- Yes and no. Once I get "off the ledge" and talk myself down, I can…..but in the moments of the rage, of the blinding ignorance of others, my gut wants to react and react with force and ugliness. And in my heart, I know that I thought it, means just as much as if I had done anything about it. Sometimes that saddens me, sometimes it makes me feel like "WTF, I should do it anyways then". Yes, I struggle with my faith just as much as I struggle with my weight and health. I'm not perfect. But I can see that and own that. And move on and try better next time.

But for now, I want to be angry…I want to scream. I want to wrap my hands around a couple of scrawny necks and sqquuuueeeeeeeeezzzzeeeee until they turn blue, shake them, and ask them "WHY?".

For my friends……."I'll stand by you every step of the way." Working out last night, a heard a song that said it for me. "Lean on Me"….Lean on me when you're not strong And I'll be your friend I'll help you carry on….If there is a load you have to bear That you can't carry I'm right up the road I'll share your load If you just call me….

For my enemies…..or should I say people who say they are your friend but will stab you in the back the first chance they get….."Get out of my way today. Today is a day where later I will thank God for Jesus' reconciling grace because for what I FEEL like doing, I'm gonna need it. And if you happen to cross me today, I can't promise that I'll be any better than YOUR behavior of late." And there was a song that expressed that for me last night too……"Hollaback Girl"… I heard that you were talking shit And you didn't think that I would hear it People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out That's right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up

Needless to say last night's workout was GREAT! Lots of fast, angry music! Had to cut it short…hubby's class ended an hour and 40 minutes early…only got in 2 hours….. 20 minutes on the rower (GREAT core workout); 10k in 27 minutes on the Xtrainer at Level 7; and 60 minutes (13.5 miles) on the bike………………… I entered a Cumulative Ironman Triathalon Challenge at the gym. Runs February 1-April 2, 2010. I did the non-swimmer which means I have to row. ***I can/do swim but I wanted to focus on the total workout and didn't feel like getting in the pool after working out and then going out in the cold*** So in that time frame I needed to Row 15,000 meters; Bike 112 miles; Run/Walk 26.2 miles.

As of TODAY: I have ROWED: 19,920 meters; BIKED:46.32 miles; and RUN/WALK: 30.02 miles. That means I have completed TWO of the THREE! I have 65.68 miles to go on the bike, but at a little over 12 miles per session, that's 5 sessions!!!! I'm setting a new goal of completing this challenge by MONTHEND.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

I have four kids…two are grown and gone and then twin 10 year old boys. We stay very active with their schedule of events. I even have to keep a Google Calendar for them, me, Dad, and other events so we can make sure we coordinate things…(It's also great to share with their closest friend's parents so if they want to know the boys can do something, you can usually pull up their calendar and tell, then email me.) In addition to the kids swimming, basketball, soccer, flag football, school activities, church activities, etc…..Dad is in school full-time, so I keep his class schedule on there and both of us work fulltime also. I serve on our pool Association BOD and in the past have been a PTF Fundraiser and a School Board director.----And all of those at the same time!

I'm no longer on the School board or the PTF fundraiser. The kids are only swimming and playing basketball right now. So why do I feel just as busy as when I cram in the other stuff? I figure it's the same philosophy of economics…you learn to live with what you have and adapt. I remember making $20k a year right out of high school….thought I was breaking the bank! I worked and went to school, both full-time, and had a baby (at 17---another story). My husband then (yep, I was married at 17) made another 25k. Our house payment (we did buy a house when I was 17 and he was 21—my MOM had to sign the contract for me since I was underage and not married when we put the contract in)…was $396 a month… J We were scraping by paycheck to paycheck but we did it. 20 years later, $396 wouldn't even pay my car payment right now…… and by no means do we scrape by, but if my husband or I lost our jobs, we'd be doing a little reorganizing. We've learned to live on our new income. Could I go back to 45k a year? If I had to….but I surely don't want to.

Same thing with our time……once I find a way to fit things in, I become accustom to it…and its second nature. Changing would require a lot of work………….

Its what I keep in my head while trying to form the new healthier habits I need to: exercise, eat well, rest, and relax. I'm a planner. I actually "schedule" these things on my Google calendar. But you know what? IT WORKS! I can plan around my kids activities, games, etc…and my other passion –"LOST"--- so if working out is on the calendar from 6-8pm and I've scheduled everything around it…..if I try to cancel it, I really feel badly because its not just me that's made concessions, its my whole family.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

So I had every intention of getting to the gym lat night by 7pm and getting in about 2.5 hours of good cardio and weights…..Come to find out, my twins started feeling better and DIDN'T want to skip their basketball practice. When I had made my plans, they weren't going, so I had the night at the gym. At 5pm, I had to take a step back and reconfigure the evening. So the kids showed up with dear hubby at my work at 5pm and I took them to dinner---hamburger steak and manicotti (kid's sizes) for them and for me……grilled chicken with onions and mushrooms—no oil. At an Italian place. It wasn't on the menu, I just asked if I could get a plain piece of grilled or baked chicken….and the waitress suggested basically taking a breast of chicken and making a "chicken steak" sans gravy…..DELISH!!!!!

So then off to basketball practice…6-7pm. And with social time, we get out of there at 7:20. I drop them and run to the bathroom (important!!! before hitting the gym)….and race drive downtown to the gym. I get there and ready to go……except the stepper machines are all taken…. Don't these KIDS know I need to stick to my schedule? So I had to modify. And figured I had to modify anyway because I knew I couldn't be there til 10:30pm. So I hit the CrossTrainer---HARD! 10k in 28 minutes with Chest and Leg Strength turned on—which every minute alternates tripling the resistance for 15 seconds…..Cardio and resistance training…. Over 400 calories burned in the 28+5 (backwards—works difference muscles) minutes.

Now, that had me "in the target zone" especially with this congestion. So, wishing for more torture of a challenge, I headed to the step machine. And did I think, hmmm, maybe I should just get a good workout? Oh no, I decide that I can work through all this and actually increased the level I work on from 3 to 5. What can I say, cold medicine makes me do CRAZY things!!!???

Finished the 15 minutes on that…..which was what I had scheduled…15 minute warmup and 15 min cool down. So I was terribly proud of myself at that minute….Looking around, I could either head to the elliptical, treadmill, or weights……hmmm, I need to cut about an hour off the original plan…. So I decided to nix the couch to 5k and elliptical. So I headed to the weights….sans the rowing by the way…..and did 45 minutes worth of weight training.

By then I could feel that head of steam I had to start with was barely puttering. So I fell an hour short of my planned workout…..but I at least did something is my attitude. Much better than 2 months ago!

Life will throw us all changes. Remain fluid, adapt, change, and continue forward progress……Taking some more cold medicine this morning…Throat is killing me…..And tonite is a planned night off from going to the gym…(LOST!!!!!!) with some jump-roping and ab work at home….

Hoping everyone is having a WONDERFUL day! If I haven't told you so, I love reading the blogs. But I love hearing from you on mine even more! Sometimes it takes a while to move from watcher to participater ….. I openly invite you to jump on in!!!!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Quickly—this weekend was good. Had plans Friday night, no workout, but ate well for the day. Saturday, busy too, no workout, but ate okay—boredom set in and I let it get me but didn't go over 1500 calories thus the "okay", Sunday was great-hour of cardio and weight training (upper body) with my hubby while kids swam, ate well to boot. I do notice that I do NOT drink enough water on weekends…..

My kids have been fighting off something for a week or two, and I think I picked it up. Right now, sore throat and general tiredness. Still planning on working out tonight though. On tap for this evening---- Stair Stepper for 15 minute warm-up; CrossTrainer for 45 minutes; Couch to 5K for 30 minutes; Weight training (lower) for 30 minutes intermixed with Rowing for 30 minutes. I do the weight training and rowing together so the weight training actually has an aerobic quality to it……I'll be at the gym 2.5 hours. My hubby will be in class from 7pm-9:40p…… that gives me time to walk to the gym from our parking space and to walk back….we meet up almost perfectly on time.

Friday, February 12, 2010

So yesterday I detailed my freak out over yogurt. Yoplait Original Strawberry to be exact. I was cool with the 170 calories … after a few minutes of deep breathing … but then when I entered it into my caloriecount account, it told me 15 g of fat! That broke me. I eat a very low fat diet for a variety of reasons. I try to stay around 20 g. per day but ALWAYS stay under 30. So the fat I do eat, must be worth it. A small cup of yogurt=not worth it. Anyways, I couldn't get that damn yogurt out my head. I was telling my husband about it at the grocery store last night (following him attending class and me going to the gym for 2 hours—YAY me!!) As we were in the dairy section picking out my cottage cheese doubles---give them a try by the way, they TOTALLY changed how I feel about cottage cheese!—I even made a point of finding "MY" yogurt and the "CULPRIT" yogurt. Then I showed him and compared the numbers….100 calories, 1 g. fat vs. 170 calories and 15g fat…NO WAIT………that is 1.5 g fat….WTH???? Hmmm… guess I got the wrong one again…..

But you know what, I actually dreamed about YOGURT. In my dream, I was doing the calorie calculation 9 calories per gram of fat x 15 grams of fat = 135 calories… Hmmm… I know it has some protein also….. that's awful close to the 170. Fast forward to work this morning. Guess what I was doing? If you guess digging in the trash for the yogurt container, give that blog reader a prize! YEP, I was doing the dumpster dive…well, really the breakroom trashcan dive. Come to find out…. 170 calories and 1.5 g fat. WHEW….

So I went back to check caloriecount….and guess what…………THEY have it wrong. It's on there as 15g. So I do feel a little better. I knew I hadn't TOTALLY made up 15g. I made the adjustment to my food log for yesterday and VIOLA --- 21g of fat for the day!!!!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Can I tell you how easily excitable I am? Perfect example...I learned how to post pics in my blog! I'm so proud of myself....too proud.

Here's a photo of my hubby and I in Hawaii on the mudbug tour. Everyone else was sitting on the thing, side by side, smiling taking a picture...how Vanilla! LOL.... so hubby and I decided to change it up a little bit.

When we got back (2 hours later) and much filthier!----They asked us to sign releases.....This is now a poster in their shop and used in their advertising.......Love their motto "Do Something Dirty"

Case in point…this morning as I was leaving the house, I proudly and responsibly picked out my breakfast and snacks for today. The only reason I didn't grab lunch…well, there was a Snow emergency yesterday, thus yesterday's lunch was still safely in the fridge at work…..but anyways…… So I grab me a Breakstones Low Fat Cottage Cheese and fruit Double (apple cinnamon—my FAVORITE!!!), a Yoplait Strawberry yogurt, and a 2%Milk Mozzarella cheese stick……I'm feeling awful proud of myself.

So I get to work…and proceed to eat the LF Cottage Cheese and fruit…by the way, I should add here, I HATE cottage cheese. Or at least, I used to. Once on this ride to health, I told myself…YES, told myself…I don't care if you like it or not, there are some things you just can't have and there are somethings you are going to have to like….. Come to find out…I like cottage cheese now. Even plain. But the Breakstone doubles make it ….doubly… better J

Today is "one of those" days for me. Women, you know what I'm talking about. Men, you know to avoid us during those days….. So around 10am, I pull out the yogurt and eat that. As I'm scraping the last little bit out……. I take a good look, a REALLY good look, at the label. First off…this thing is 170 calories…. I usually only report 100-120. Then I see the fat content……..15 freaky grams!!!!!! WT???? Seems I picked up my KIDS' yogurt thinking it was my Yoplait Light. They look the same except for that Light part.

So I'm kicking myself for not paying attention……But then again, isn't that EXACTLY how I got here? By either avoiding or not paying attention. 'Nuf said. It's over. It's done. It's not the end of the world. But tomorrow (and every other day) I know to look at what I'm grabbing to put into my mouth….